Michael Elwan, AASW

Michael Elwan is an Accredited Social Worker (AASW) with 15 years' experience supporting adults and couples who feel worn down or quietly overwhelmed. He works with people carrying anxiety, grief, relationship strain, identity questions, burnout and long-term responsibility. Sessions aim to slow things down and offer space to be heard without judgement.

Michael describes his style as calm and grounded. He uses approaches that include acceptance-based and emotionally focused work, plus narrative and mindfulness elements. Conversations focus on spotting patterns, building emotional steadiness, and finding clearer ways to relate to yourself and others.

His practice is informed by both professional work and lived experience. Earlier in life he was a young carer and later faced profound grief after losing loved ones to suicide. Those experiences shape how he sits with people and understand resilience and loss.

Michael works with a wide range of concerns such as stress, anxiety, trauma and abuse, grief, self-esteem, addictions, relationship and intimacy-related issues, parenting strain, eating and sleeping problems, career questions, bipolar and depression, and coping with life changes. He also focuses on attachment and abandonment issues, autism and Asperger Syndrome, caregiver stress, chronic pain or illness, codependency, and family of origin problems.

He communicates in English and Arabic. He lives and practises in Australia and brings professional accountability and ongoing study to his work, including membership of the Australian Association of Social Workers (AASW). If you want a thoughtful, steady approach that balances dignity and change, Michael aims to make therapy practical and humane.

Therapeutic approaches that translate online

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) helps people notice unhelpful thoughts and choose actions that match their values. It can be useful for anxiety, stress, low mood and coping with life changes. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) focuses on spotting patterns between thoughts, feelings and behaviours and testing different responses; it often helps with anxiety, depression and sleep or eating issues. Attachment-Based Therapy looks at relationship patterns formed earlier in life and how they affect current relationships, which can aid intimacy issues, abandonment worries and family of origin difficulties.

Choosing the right approach is part of the work together. Michael will talk with you about your goals, preferences and what feels most useful, then shape sessions around that. The process is collaborative and can change as your needs evolve.

Please confirm current session options before booking, as formats are not specified here. Online therapy can make it easier to fit sessions into a busy life - for example, it may reduce travel time, allow a shorter check-in between commitments, or suit quieter surroundings. Appropriately qualified therapists can adapt ACT, CBT and attachment-focused work to an online setting so you can practice skills and reflect between sessions. If you need clarity about formats, ask when you book so you know how sessions will be arranged.